Foxconn’s Terry Gou quits Kuomintang, paving way for Taiwan presidency bid as an independent
- Billionaire had been asked to throw his support behind KMT candidate Han Kuo-yu, who beat him in the party primaries
- His statement denounces ‘out-of-date party’ with committee members who ‘put their own interests first’
The latest twist came on Thursday when the mainland-friendly opposition party published a half-page advertisement in several major newspapers appealing for unity and asking Gou to cooperate in January’s election with Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu, who beat Gou in the party’s primaries in July.
But instead of being persuaded to give up his bid, Gou chose to leave the party he had rejoined only four months earlier. He is now expected to run as an independent candidate.
“While announcing my withdrawal from the party at this time, I still have my struggles,” Gou said in a statement.
“Emotionally I feel dejected for not being able to continue to fight side by side with the party, but rationally I know I am doing the right thing – a thing that will turn around the fate of the Republic of China,” he said.
Guo said late Taiwanese president Chiang Ching-kuo would have been pained to see the KMT party he once led losing its ideals and its supporters.
“The elections of seven presidents and the three rounds of transfer of power in past decades have indicated that neither the blue [mainland-friendly] camp nor the green [pro-independence] camp are able to bring hope to the Taiwanese people,” he said.
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Gou’s office issued a statement earlier on Thursday saying the tycoon’s loss of faith in the KMT had led to his decision to resign.
“Taiwan people will never agree with such an out-of-date party as well as conservative and archaic central standing committee members who put their own interests before the party,” Gou’s office said in a statement. “This has contradicted what Mr Gou thought when he [decided] to return to the party.”
“For this, Mr Gou will withdraw from the KMT immediately,” the statement said.
Gou has claimed the primaries were conducted unfairly so as to favour Han, and has since refused to meet Han and KMT chairman Wu Den-yih.
Thursday’s advert, signed by 31 senior KMT figures including Wu, former chairman Lien Chan and Taiwan’s former president Ma Ying-jeou, called for unity in the century-old party so that members could work together to “save” the Republic of China (ROC), referring to Taiwan by its official name.
“The elections of the president and legislators in 2020 are crucial because they will decide the fate of the ROC and the future of Taiwan and its people,” the ad said.
It called on Gou to work with Han so that all KMT supporters could vote for the latter to increase Han’s chances of defeating incumbent Tsai Ing-wen of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, thereby “saving the ROC and rescuing cross-strait peace”.
Beijing, which sees Taiwan as a breakaway province and has not ruled out using force to unify it with mainland China, has suspended exchanges with the self-ruled island since Tsai’s election in 2016. It has also been increasingly confrontational in staging war games around the island and poaching several of its diplomatic allies.
The KMT gave Gou an honorary citation in April to confirm his party membership after the billionaire had shown an interest in entering the presidential primaries.
To stand as an independent, Gou must submit his application by Tuesday. Independent candidates then have until November to gain enough support to be eligible to enter the presidential poll.
The KMT’s information and cultural affairs director Chen Mei-hua said the KMT primaries were conducted in a fair, just and open manner.
The losers in the polls should adjust to the frustration they felt after the race, she said.
On whether Guo’s honorary citation would be retracted, Chen said the party would follow standard procedures on such matters.
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Lee Che-hua, the KMT’s organisational affairs director, accused Gou of damaging party unity.
“What has the KMT done to make you do this?” he said.
Han’s office also expressed “deep regret and disappointment” over Gou’s decision, saying the presidential candidate would do all he could to rally party supporters behind him.
Tsai has not commented on Gou’s decision, but his move could benefit her as it is likely to split the KMT vote.
The DPP said Gou’s withdrawal was expected, given his reluctance to meet Han and Wu after the primaries.
Gou instead spent a month overseas. When he returned last month he teamed up with Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je and former parliament speaker Wang Jin-pyng in what local media described as an attempt to form an alliance to support his presidential bid.
Ko said on Thursday that it was time for Taiwan to do away with the heavy-handed political approach of both the KMT and the DPP.
“If Gou decides to run for president … I will give him my vote because he has the vision best suited to running” Taiwan, he said, adding that Han was not good enough to be president.
The latest opinion polls released by the Cross-Strait Policy Association on Thursday showed Tsai leading Han by 50.1 per cent to 33.7. Assuming Gou joined the race, the poll said he would have 23.2 per cent of the vote, against Tsai’s 38.7 per cent and Han’s 26.7 per cent.
